Fertilizer-distributer.



' Nn'. 636,079. Patented (not. at, I899.

|. L. STELL.

FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER.

(Applicatinh filed June 19, 1899.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

IRA L. STELL, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.

FERTILIZ ER-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,079, dated October31, 1899.

Application warm 19,1899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA L. STELL, acitizen of the United States,residing at Sherman, in the county of Grayson and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Fertilizer- Distributer, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in fertilizer-distributers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction offertilizer-distributers and to provide a simple and comparativelyinexpensive one adapted for handling all kinds of fertilizers-such asmannre,straw, and analogousaccurnulations,w0od-ashes,and the 1ike-andcapable of positively feedingthe same and of depositing the material indrills or furrows. V

A further object of the invention is to enable the cutting knives .orarms for operating on the material to be readily removed when it isnecessary to sharpen them.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of afertilizer-distributer constructed in accordance with this invention.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 8 is'a'detailsectional View illustrating the manner of mounting the cutter blades orarms. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of one of the cutter-blades.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawing-s.

1 designates a hopper mounted upon a frame 2, which is rectangular andprovided at its corners with vertical standards '3, secured at theirupper ends to the corners of the hopper, at the top thereof. The frame,which is composed of side and end bars, is supported by transverse bars4 and 5, located in advance and in rear of a centrally=arranged axle 6,which is journaled in suitable bearings 7 and which has carrying-wheelsjournaled on its'spindles. A draft beam or tongue 7 a is secure'd'to'thefront of the frame,and its rear end is supported by the transverse bar4. The carrying wheels 7 are connected Serial No. 721,136. cu model.)

with the ends of the axle by clutches, composed of ratchet-wheels 8 andpawls 9. The ratchet-wheels are mounted .on the shaft, and the pawls 9,which are pivoted to the inner face of the carrying-wheels, are adaptedto be swung out of engagement with the ratchet- Wheels, whereby themachine maybe thrown into and out of operation.

The axle is provided with centrally-arranged transverse perforations 10,disposed at right angles to each other and receiving bars 11, and eachbar 11 projects from opposite sides of the shaft to form arms,which areadapted to operate through an opening 12 of the bottom of the hopper.The ends of the bars 11 are rounded, and their longitudinal edges aresharpened to provide cutting edges 13 at the front of the blades, asclearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The bar 11 is provided with acentral enlargement or longitudinal boss 14, which is recessed toprovide a socket 15 for the reception of a wedge-shaped key 16, thatsecures the bar to the axle.

able and may be readily removed when it is necessary to sharpen them.The arms by being provided with cutting edges are adapted to feedpositively the manure or other fertilizer to be distributed, and thesaid fertilizer is discharged into furrows formed by a plow 17, locatedin front of the axle. This prevents the fertilizer from being blown awayas it is deposited, and it causes the same to mix readily with the soil.

The plow is secured to a standard 18, having its upper ends 19 reducedand pivoted in a socket at the lower face of the rear portion of thedraft beam or pole, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2 of the accompanyingdrawings. The plow by being pivoted in this manner may be readilyadjusted to run the desired depth, and it is connected with anoperating-lever 2O, fulcrumedon a standard 21 at the front of the frameand extending to the rear of the hopper. The front end of the lever 20is pivoted to a forked connecting-piece 22, which straddles the draftbeam or pole and is pivoted to the standard of the plow. Thisconnecting-piece preferably consists of a pair of bars spaced apart by astrip 23 and having their lower portions offset to form the fork. Theupper terminals of the bars are extended By this. construction the barsare rendered detachbeyond the spacing-strip and are pivoted to theopposite sides of the front end of the lever. By raising and loweringthe rear end of the lever the plow may be raised and lowered andadjusted to any position.

The feed of the fertilizer-distributer is controlled by a slide 24,arranged at the back of the hopper and adapted to extend through a slot25 thereof. The rear portion of the slide is supported by a transversebar 26, which connects the rear standards.

The invention has the following advantages: The fertilizer-distributer,which is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, isadapted to operate on all kinds of fertilizer and is capable ofpositively feeding the same and of depositing it in a furrow. The arms,which are provided with cutting edges, are adapted to force the materialout of the hopper, and they may be readily thrown into and out ofoperation by the clutch mechanism when the distributer reaches the endof a row and it is desired to turn it or when it is desired to stop thefeed for any other purpose.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ofconstruction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this invention.

\Vhat is claimed is 1. Afertilizer-distributercon prisingahopper, ashaft or axle provided with an opening, a bar arranged within theopening and projecting from opposite sides of the shaft or axle andhaving a central socket or recess, and a wedge-shaped key fitting in thesocket or recess and securing the bar in the opening of the shaft oraxle,substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a shaft oraxle provided with openings, bars passing through the openings,projecting from opposite sides of the shaft or axle and having frontcutting edges, and keys securing the bars in the said openings,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

IRA L. S'lELL.

Witnesses:

ToM EVERHEART, W. E. SHAW.

